People First
People First
The Solomon Islands Development Administration Planning programme (SIDAPP) was a UNDP/UNOPS project which closed in December 2001. A full description of SIDAPP is given below (this will be updated shortly).
From January 2001, SIDAPP initiated the People First Network (see About PFnet). PFnet is now organised as a project of the Rural Development Volunteers Association (RDVA), which is affiliated to the Rural Development Division (RDD) of the Ministry of Provincial Government and Rural Development. All SIDAPP activities are now absorbed within the RDD. PFnet is housed within the RDD offices, with the Internet cafe on the ground floor.
We are in the process of revising this site to reflect these organisational changes. Thank you for your patience.
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SIDAPP
The Solomon Islands Development Administration Planning programme (SIDAPP) aims to achieve greater grassroots participation in development by promoting close government-community partnership. SIDAPP assists the Solomon Islands Ministry of Provincial Government and Rural Development to strengthen the Provincial Government Development Unit (PGDU) to systematically provide training and support to provincial government officials and community groups to formulate constituency development profiles and action plans.
Up until July 2000, as the ethnic conflict further intensified. PGDU operations were suspended. The programme, on the other hand, modified its activities in response to the call of the new Government to reorient direction in support of peace and development efforts.
What is SIDAPP?
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SIDAPP stands for Solomon Islands Development Administration and Participatory Planning Programme.
SIDAPP is made up of five different sections:
Website;
NIRDP;
The Rural Development Volunteers Office;
Internet Caf'e and
.The Rural Development Profiling and Strategy Section.
Chief Training Officer, Mr. Allan Agassi, SIDAPP, Honiara.
SIDAPPs new initiatives
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the recruitment, training and deployment of around 100 peace and development volunteers from amongst students of the University of South Pacific (USP) and Solomon Islands College of Higher Education (SICHE) who could not go back to their classes on account of the Government's cash flow problem;
the establishment of a rural development volunteers office at SICHE to plan coordinate a community immersion programme for students during semestral breaks as a regular feature of the curriculum;
data and information collection on the country's nine provinces as initial and information collection on the country's nine provinces as initial step for rural development profiling and strategy formulation;
the launching of a website primarily to serve as advocacy tool to focus global attention and support to micro-projects identified by marginal rural communities in the Solomons; and
the setting up of an Internet Caf'e designed to serve eventually as the hub of a rural-based communication system linking isolated rural villages and outer islands together and thus contribute to bringing about national unity and reconciliation.
These new activities have implemented using ad hoc structures, such as the National Core Team of Trainers (NCTT), Provincial Core Team of Trainers (PCTT), and team of volunteers linked to project staff in each province.
What does this Web Site aim to do?
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The SIDAPP People First Web Site has been launched on 30th January 2001 partly as an advocacy tool, to market the hundreds of rural community development projects that have been suggested as a result of the SIDAPP constituency-based needs assessment workshops. It is also available for the promotion of non-SIDAPP development projects.
Potential sponsors and donors are invited to inspect the projects database (click on the menu - Projects).
By inviting all development partners of Solomon Islands to contribute news, reports, donor schemes and other content, SIDAPP hopes that this web site will also become a central resource, or "one-stop shop" for development news and information. Via the PFnet, the web site will also carry contributions from the rural communities themselves and be a way for them to feedback and also to hear of developments in other provinces.
The web site is also the information part of an Information and Communications Technology (ICT) project called PFnet (click here for full details).
What is NIRDP?
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NIRDP stands for National Integrated Rural Development Programme.
During the 2nd Tripartite review of the project held in January 2001, the Solomon Islands Government, the host Ministry (MPGDR) and UNDP/UNOPS approved the recommendation that SIDAPP management undertake the preparation of National Integrated Rural Development Programme as part of its phase-out strategy. The NIRDP will be designed as a national undertaking covering all the provinces, and implemented by MPGDR in close coordination with other SIG agencies involved in the planning and delivery of services to villages communities.
Services provided by NIRDP
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NIRDP will serve as a response to the demand for equitable and balanced development for all provinces, articulated by provincial governments and rural communities both prior to and during the recent social unrest.
It is envisioned that the new NIRDP will replicate approaches, systems and procedures successfully field-tested by SIDAPP stakeholders.
What RDVA?
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RDVA stands for The Rural Development Volunteers Association.
What are the objectives of RDVA?
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The main objectives of the association shall be:
as a body to form a central forum for collective opinions of Rural Development Volunteers;
to represent the views and opinions of Rural Development Volunteers in national and international forums pertinent to rural development in Solomon Islands;
to collect ideas and requests from Rural Development Volunteers for transmission to government departments, private sector organisations, regional and international organisations and other stakeholders;
to coordinate and control the roles and functions of Rural Development Volunteers.
Who compose the SIDAPP setup?
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The core staff of the Unit consists of: a Chief Training Officer, Project Planning Officer, Budget and Accounts Officer. UNDP temporarily funds Logistic Officer, RDVA Project Coordinator, Rural & Regional Planning Consultant, Webmaster and a Consultant.
How is SIDAPP organised?
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A Chief Technical Advisor works closely with the Permanent Secretary of Provincial Government and Rural Development in overseeing the Programme. The CTA is based at the SIDAPP office The CTA works directly with the Chief Training Officer in carrying out day-to-day activities.
A Programme Management Committee provides policy direction. It is composed of the Permanent Secretary, Department of Provincial Government and Rural Development who serves as Secretary to the Committee; the Permanent Secretary, Department of Development Planning, the Permanent Secretary, Public Service Division and the Head of Unit, Policy and Structural Reform Programme.
A National Advisory Committee serves as clearing-house for training modules and reform measures prior to implementation by the PGDU. It is composed of representatives from the Physical Planning Division, Health, Education, Planning, Agriculture, Fisheries, Trade and Commerce, Office of the Legal Advisor, National Council of Women and Development Services Exchange.
A National Inter-agency Programme Support Team provides personnel and technical backstopping to the PGDU core staff in carrying out training and other activities.
At the provincial level, a Provincial Core Team of Trainers is mobilised, trained and fielded by SIDAPP to reinforce the PGDU-led national trainers.
At the constituency level, a Local Development Core Team composed mostly of community volunteers is recruited, trained and linked to the PCTT to undertake tasks related to project monitoring and service delivery.
What is the present coverage of SIDAPP?
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The Programme area consists of the provinces of Isabel, Malaita and Rennell and Bellona. These provinces have been selected to provide representative sizes of provinces (medium, large and relatively small) for the field-testing and developing of training modules and other programme interventions.
During the three year period, the Programme hopes to reach 110,485 people of around 60 villages in 18 Constituencies. The target beneficiaries represent roughly 1/3 of the country's population.
What are the expected outputs of SIDAPP after three years?
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The major outputs are as follows:
disadvantaged communities and groups in 59 wards identified and encouraged to formulate and implement projects, and their projects linked to a community-based monitoring system;
a functioning Provincial Government Development Unit fully equipped, staffed and with budget for its training operations aimed at strengthening the provincial government system, as well as enhancing grassroots participation in development;
the Department's structure, system, procedures and processes reviewed and reform measures are being implemented to improve overall staff performance;
rural development projects assessed and new guidelines implemented to ensure their effectiveness and impact to the situation of disadvantaged communities and groups;
training modules prepared, field-tested and validated for each category of participants at national, provincial and constituency levels;
18 Constituency Development Profiles and Action Plans formulated and implemented with close government-community collaboration.
How will the other provinces benefit from SIDAPP?
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Towards the end of the three-year period, an expansion plan will be prepared by the Department in collaboration with UNDP and other donor agencies. The training modules and reform measures are for nation-wide implementation. They will be made available to other provinces.
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People First Network (PFnet)
Rural Development Volunteers Association
Ministry of Provincial Government and Rural Development
PO Box 919 Honiara, Solomon Islands
Tel (677) 26358
Fax (677) 26458
pfnet@pipolfastaem.gov.sb
email webmaster
http://www.peoplefirst.net.sb
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